Wire fabric



Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

.This invention relates to belts, particularly adapted for use inconnection with potato and vegetable or fruitassorting machines, and hasfor its object the production of a simple and efficient belt consistingof a plurality of link sections, these link sections being made up of aplurality of loops arranged side by side, extending transversely of thewidth of the belt, the sections being interlocked or looped together toform a continuous flexible body.

Another object of this invention is the production of a simple andefl'icient wire belt, or wire mesh fencing, which may be either used asa conveyor belt upon a vegetable or fruit assorting machine, or the samestructure used as a wire fence, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

A still further object of this invention is the production of aspecially constructed wire fence or belting, wherein the wire fence orbelting is made up of a series of linked sections, each link sectioncomprising a plurality of loops arranged side by side and formed toproduce a flexible body, the loop of each section being formed of acontinuous strand of wire and the various loops of the various sectionsbeing looped together. 7

The present invention embodies an especially constructed wire meshfencing or belt such as might be used-in'connection with my co-pendingapplication relating to a potato sorter.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certainnovel constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawing;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the strip of belting orfence; Figure 2 is a sectiontaken on line 2-2 of Figure 1; and q Figure3 is a perspective view of a portion of the wire belting or fenceshowing a series of loops connected together to provide the linksections of the chain or fence. 7

By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that 1 designates the wiremesh or strand fabric which may be used either as a flexible belt or awire fence, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Theimportant element of the present invention, however, is the particulararrangement of the linkshaving the specially designed loops illustratedand described. The body 1 of the material is made up of a series of linksections 2, and each link section comprises a plurality of loops 3 whichare arranged side by side and 55 formed from a continuous strand ofwire. .Each

hanging side portion 5 of the adjoining loop 3 loop 3 is provided with aforwardly bent eye 4 at its apex and each loop 3 is also provided with apair of substantially parallel side members 5, which side, members arelooped or threaded through the eyes 4 of the loops 3 of the adjoining solink sections 2, as shown clearly in the drawing. These substantiallyparallel side members 5 are arranged so as to have one side member 5 ofeach loop extend over the eye 4 of the adjoining link section of one ofthe loops, and the other side member 5 is arranged to extend under thenext adjoining eye 4 of the registering loop 3 of the adjoining linksection, as shown clearly in the drawing. In other words, the sidemembers 5 are adapted to extend alternately above and below theadjoining eyes 4 of the adjoining link sections. In forming the wiremesh body 1, the strand is started and passed through one eye 4 of oneof the loops of an adjoining link section, and is then brought over thiseye and extended forwardly and bent to form a substantially ellipticalloop, such as is indicated by the numeral 3 in Figure 1. The apex of theloop is then formed to produce the eye 4 and'the strand is thencontinued to provide the opposite side of the substantially ellipticalloop 3 and is passed down under and through the eye 4 of an adjoiningloop 3 of the adjoining link sec tion 2 and is then brought over thislast mentioned eye and extended forwardly so as to have the overextendover the side portion 5 of the next adjoining loop, or extendsubstantially parallel in overlapping position such as is shown inFigure 3. By means of this structure a very simple and efiicient linkwire mesh body is provided which may be conveniently used as a flexiblebelt on a potato sorter, other vegetable and fruit assorting machine,and the same structure may be conveniently and properly used as a wirefence, if desired. It should also be noted that since the loops 3 ofeach section 2 are all provided with eyes 4 at the centers of theirbowed portions and the arms of the'loops are engaged through these eyes,the sections 2 will be positively held against shifting transversely ofthe body out of their prop er positions and will be retained in evenlydistributed staggered relation to each other. This will cause pull to beevenly distributed and if the fabric is used as fencing, sagging betweenposts due to slippage of the sections will be prevented.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that eachloop through the medium of the eyes 4 and the parallel side portions 5,will provide a forwardly extending eye in the nature of the eye 4, and.a rearwardly extending eye, at the 5 rear end of each loop, therearwardly extending eyes extending in a plane at right angles to theforwardly extending eye 4.

It should be noted that the body 1 constitutes a. flexible structureformed of link sections 2, which extend transversely of the body, oneafter another. Each link section 2 consists of a wire strand bent toform a series of substantially U- shaped loops 3, which loops aredisposed in sideby-side relation to each other, transversely of thebody, the arms or parallel portions 5 of the loops extendinglongitudinally of the body and their bowed portion extendingtransversely of the body. The bowed portion of each loop is crimped orbent to form a U-shaped eye 4 of reduced Width extending longitudinallyof the ,body and being open at its inner end as shown inF'igures land 2.By noting the drawing, it will be seen that the arms of the adjoiningloops 3 of each section are integrally united in superimposed relationto each other and pass through the eyes 40f the adjoining section. i v VIt should be understood that certain detail changes in the mechanicalstructure may be employed without departing from the spirit of theinvention so long as these changes fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A device of the character described comprising a flexible body formed oflink sections extending transversely of the body one after another, each7 section consisting of a wire strand bent to form the arms of adjoiningloops of each section being integrally united in superimposed relationto each other and engaged through the eyes of an adjoining section.

, JOSEPH E. DUREPO.

